Thousands take to N.Y. streets to protest Israeli offensive in Gaza

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of people took to the streets of New York City on Friday evening to protest Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip and demand an end to the violence that has already killed nearly 850 Palestinians.

Police scrambled to corral the demonstrators, which officers estimated numbered between 2,000 and 3,000, as they flooded into the busy streets around Times Square.

Waving Palestinian flags and signs condemning Israel for the offensive, many called for an end to U.S. aid to the country.

"We're trying to break the siege and end the killing in Palestine. We just want them to live like human beings," said Ramsey Jamal, 37, a Palestinian-American from Montgomery, New York.